How to Fix Your Posture in 4 Moves! (PERMANENTLY)

Summary

In this ATHLEANX video, Jeff Cavaliere emphasizes the importance of correcting posture before focusing on muscle gains. He uses Jesse as an example to demonstrate how fixing posture is crucial for strength training. The video outlines four main posture issues: thoracic kyphosis, rounded shoulders, nerd neck, and anterior/posterior pelvic tilt. Jeff provides targeted exercises for each issue, including thoracic extension with a broomstick, face pulls, deep neck flexor activation with a tennis ball, and hamstring stretching for pelvic alignment. He stresses the importance of quality over quantity in these exercises for effective posture correction.

Takeaways

• 😌 Posture is crucial for strength training and muscle gains, as poor posture can impede performance and lead to injuries.
• 🔍 The video focuses on correcting four main posture issues: rounded upper back (thoracic kyphosis), rounded shoulders, nerd neck, and anterior/posterior pelvic tilt.
• 🏋️‍♂️ A broomstick or metal bar exercise is recommended to address thoracic kyphosis by promoting extension and rotation of the spine.
• 🤸‍♂️ Face pulls are suggested to counteract rounded shoulders by strengthening the muscles on the backside and promoting external rotation.
• 🤲 To combat nerd neck, exercises are demonstrated that activate the deep neck flexors, emphasizing quality over quantity of reps.
• 🧘‍♂️ Stretching the hamstrings and addressing pelvic tilt are important for posture correction, with specific stretches detailed in the video.
• 🔗 The video provides a link to another resource for a more in-depth look at anterior pelvic tilt, which is a common posture issue.
• 💪 A combination of targeted exercises and stretches can lead to immediate and long-term improvements in posture.
• 📈 Consistency and commitment to the recommended exercises are key to achieving lasting changes in posture.
• 🔗 The ATHLEANX program is mentioned as a comprehensive resource for posture correction and strength training, incorporating scientific principles into workouts.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video by Jeff Cavaliere?

The main focus of the video is to discuss the importance of posture in relation to strength training and muscle gains, using Jesse as an example to illustrate the changes made to improve his posture.

Why is posture considered important before starting a strength training program according to Jeff Cavaliere?

Posture is considered important because it allows an individual to physically position themselves to be as strong as possible, which is essential for effective strength training.

What are the four main posture issues that Jeff Cavaliere identifies in the video?

The four main posture issues identified are: 1) Rounded upper back with thoracic kyphosis, 2) Rounded shoulders, 3) An anterior pelvic tilt causing a swoop in the low back, and 4) Posterior pelvic tilt leading to a tucked-under position.

How does Jeff Cavaliere suggest addressing the issue of thoracic kyphosis?

Jeff suggests using a broomstick or metal bar exercise where the person lies face down and rolls in different directions to achieve extension and rotation of the thoracic spine.

What exercise does Jeff recommend to counteract rounded shoulders?

Jeff recommends face pulls to develop the muscles on the backside and counteract the adaptive shortening in the chest muscles caused by rounded shoulders.

What is 'nerd neck' and how does Jeff Cavaliere propose to fix it?

'Nerd neck' is a term used to describe the forward head posture often caused by poor upper body alignment. Jeff suggests using a tennis ball and plate exercise to strengthen the deep neck flexors and improve this posture.

How does Jeff Cavaliere address the issue of anterior pelvic tilt?

Jeff addresses anterior pelvic tilt by recommending a stretch that involves placing one foot on a raised surface, pointing the foot towards the head, and then reaching forward while maintaining an anterior pelvic tilt to lengthen the hamstrings.

What is the significance of the hamstring stretch that Jeff Cavaliere demonstrates in the video?

The hamstring stretch is significant because it helps to lengthen the tight and short hamstrings that contribute to a posterior pelvic tilt, which is a common posture issue.

What is the ATHLEANX program mentioned by Jeff Cavaliere and how does it relate to posture?

The ATHLEANX program is a fitness program that integrates science into every workout, including posture correction exercises, to ensure a comprehensive approach to fitness and strength training.

How does Jeff Cavaliere emphasize the importance of quality over quantity in posture exercises?

Jeff emphasizes the importance of quality over quantity by advocating for fewer repetitions with proper form and focus on the muscles being worked, rather than rushing through many repetitions without proper technique.

What is the role of the deep neck flexors in posture according to Jeff Cavaliere?

The deep neck flexors play a crucial role in posture by supporting the head and neck, and by strengthening them, one can improve the 'nerd neck' posture and overall alignment.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♂️ Posture Improvement for Strength Training

Jeff Cavaliere from ATHLEANX.com emphasizes the importance of posture in strength training, using Jesse's transformation as an example. Initially, Jesse had poor posture characterized by a rounded upper back (kyphotic thoracic spine), rounded shoulders, and anterior pelvic tilt, which would have hindered his muscle gains. To address these issues, Jeff outlines a series of corrective exercises. For the thoracic kyphosis, a broomstick or metal bar is used for extension and rotation exercises. To counteract rounded shoulders, face pulls are recommended to strengthen the posterior deltoids and rhomboids. For 'nerd neck', a tennis ball is used to activate the deep neck flexors, and for anterior pelvic tilt, hamstring stretches are suggested to lengthen the muscles and improve posture.

05:02

🔍 Detailed Posture Correction Exercises

This paragraph delves into the specifics of the exercises mentioned for posture correction. It starts with the thoracic spine extension and rotation using a bar, where the individual rolls in opposite directions to achieve the desired movement. The face pull exercise is described in detail, focusing on external rotation and the engagement of the posterior deltoids and rhomboids. For the 'nerd neck', the use of a tennis ball and a weight plate is explained to strengthen the deep neck flexors. Lastly, the paragraph addresses the anterior pelvic tilt with hamstring stretches, which involve reaching forward while maintaining an anterior pelvic tilt to lengthen the hamstrings. The emphasis is on quality over quantity when performing these exercises, with a focus on feeling the effects immediately and committing to consistent practice for long-term results.

Keywords

💡Posture

Posture refers to the alignment of an individual's body. In the context of the video, it is crucial for both health and physical performance. Poor posture can lead to muscle imbalances, pain, and reduced strength. The video emphasizes the importance of correcting posture before engaging in strength training to prevent injuries and maximize gains. The script discusses various exercises aimed at improving posture, such as thoracic extension and hamstring stretching.

💡Thoracic Kyphosis

Thoracic kyphosis is a term used to describe an excessive rounding of the upper back. It is considered a postural abnormality that can lead to pain and functional limitations. In the video, Jeff Cavaliere points out that addressing thoracic kyphosis is essential for improving overall posture and enabling full range of motion in the shoulders. An exercise using a broomstick or metal bar is suggested to extend and rotate the thoracic spine.

💡Rounded Shoulders

Rounded shoulders, also known as 'shoulder internal rotation,' occur when the shoulders are consistently pulled forward. This posture can lead to muscle imbalances and shoulder pain. The video script mentions that rounded shoulders often accompany thoracic kyphosis and that exercises like face pulls are necessary to strengthen the muscles on the backside of the body and counteract the effects of chest muscle tightness.

💡Nerd Neck

Nerd neck is a colloquial term for forward head posture, where the head juts out in front of the shoulders. This can result from compensating for other postural issues, such as rounded shoulders or upper back problems. The video explains that nerd neck can cause strain on the neck muscles and suggests exercises to strengthen the deep neck flexors to correct this posture.

💡Anterior Pelvic Tilt

Anterior pelvic tilt is a postural condition where the pelvis is tilted forward, causing a 'swoop' in the lower back. This can lead to lower back pain and contribute to an overall poor posture. The video script describes how to correct anterior pelvic tilt through specific exercises and stretches, emphasizing the importance of the pelvis as the base of the body's posture.

💡Face Pulls

Face pulls are a type of exercise designed to strengthen the muscles on the back of the shoulders and upper back. They are particularly useful for correcting rounded shoulders by working on external rotation and engaging the posterior deltoids and rhomboids. The video script provides instructions on how to perform face pulls with proper form to ensure quality over quantity in repetitions.

💡Deep Neck Flexors

Deep neck flexors are a group of muscles located in the front of the neck that are responsible for flexing the neck. Weakness in these muscles can contribute to poor posture, such as nerd neck. The video script suggests exercises that involve resisting neck flexion with a plate and using a tennis ball to engage the deep neck flexors, which helps to correct forward head posture.

💡Hips

The hips play a central role in posture, as they support the spine and pelvis. The video discusses how tight or short hamstrings can contribute to a posterior pelvic tilt, which can affect the entire body's alignment. Stretching and strengthening exercises for the hips are recommended to correct this issue and improve overall posture.

💡Strength Training

Strength training refers to exercises that build muscle strength and endurance. The video script emphasizes that proper posture is a prerequisite for effective strength training. Without good posture, it is difficult to perform exercises with correct form, which can limit progress and increase the risk of injury.

💡Muscle Imbalances

Muscle imbalances occur when muscles on one side of the body are stronger or tighter than those on the other side, leading to poor posture and potential pain. The video script identifies muscle imbalances as a common consequence of poor posture and suggests specific exercises to address these imbalances and restore balance.

💡Adaptive Shortening

Adaptive shortening is a term used to describe the natural shortening of muscles due to habitual postures or movements. For example, the chest muscles may shorten when someone has rounded shoulders. The video script discusses the importance of addressing adaptive shortening through targeted exercises to restore muscle length and improve posture.

Highlights

Emphasizing the importance of posture in strength training and muscle gains.

Jesse's muscle gains were only possible after fixing his posture.

Posture issues can prevent you from being as strong as you could be.

Addressing the thoracic spine's rounded, kyphotic position for better posture.

The inability to lift arms fully overhead due to poor posture.

Compensation for poor posture leads to 'nerd neck' and potential shoulder pain.

Anterior pelvic tilt causes a swoop in the low back, affecting posture.

The four main posture issues that need to be addressed: upper back, shoulders, neck, and pelvis.

Using a broomstick to correct thoracic kyphosis and improve posture.

The importance of pairing rotation and extension in spinal exercises.

Face pulls as a method to counteract rounded shoulders and strengthen the upper back.

The significance of external rotation in face pulls for shoulder health.

Using a tennis ball and plate for deep neck flexor exercises to combat 'nerd neck'.

The role of hamstring flexibility in correcting anterior pelvic tilt.

Stretching hamstrings to alleviate posterior pelvic tilt and improve posture.

The importance of quality over quantity in posture exercises for lasting results.

Commitment to a posture improvement plan for long-term changes.

ATHLEANX program's comprehensive approach to posture and strength training.

Transcripts

What's up, guys?

Jeff Cavaliere, ATHLEANX.com.

We're talking all about posture today and if there was a representation of poor posture,

it was this young man right here, Jesse.

And I know we've been infatuated with the muscle gains that he's been making, but I

can tell you this: those muscle gains would actually be impossible had he not first fixed

his posture.

For anyone that's followed this channel for any length of time, I realized that as a physical

therapist I have to prioritize posture, especially when we start attacking the strength training

program because I don’t think you can physically put yourself in position to be as strong as

possible if you don’t first fix your posture.

So we had to do that with Jesse.

What did we do?

Turn around and show them what you look like, because you kind of look exactly like I just

did.

You kind of came to me looking like this.

If you don’t believe me, you can look at Jesse's picture over here for verification

that, yes, that's actually how he looked when he started training.

But knowing that we can't throw him under the bar that way, because we're asking for

problems, we had to address one by one, starting right here.

The upper back.

The thoracic spine being rounded, kyphotic.

It's not a good position.

You actually can't lift your arm over your head fully if you're in this position.

With that is a second problem: the rounded shoulders that come with that.

Again, you're begging for shoulder pain if you don’t fix this.

As a compensation for this posture here, if you want to look straight ahead – because

it's going to bring everything down.

If your body is going this way, your head is going to follow.

As a compensation for that we know we've got to look straight ahead.

So what do we do?

We peek up.

That's called nerd neck, right there.

Jesse appropriately developed it because he's a nerd.

Even because of all his Star Wars infatuation I call him that, but beyond that we have other

reasons.

He needs to fix this though.

And so do you.

Really, a little bit uncharacteristically, Jesse's got a hell of a case of anterior pelvic

tilt.

Meaning, he gets that swoop in the low back.

We actually fixed that, and addressed that in an entire video that you need to watch

if you have that problem.

I'm going to show you what it looks like over here, and link it for you at the end of this

video.

But here's what most of us have.

Step aside, Jess.

Because of all this roundedness, what happens in the spine – because it's one connected

unit – is we get this posterior pelvic tilt.

This tucking under.

This ass-not, as we call it.

So basically, we have four main issues that we have to address and we're going to do that

here, one by one.

Remember, the one thing – if you're short on time – that's going to be the most impactful

for you, we string them all together, and I promise you, you're going to start to see

better results with your posture.

Let's first attack that rounded upper back.

The thoracic kyphosis.

Actually, a fun one to do because all it takes is a broomstick.

Jesse's got a metal bar here.

You lay face down on the floor like that, you put your arms nice, and wide on the bar,

and then Jesse's going to roll in this direction here.

When he does, he's actually trying to get extension through his thoracic spine here,

and rotation because we like to pair rotation and extension together because the spine works

that way.

We always have to respect the rotational plane whenever we do something because that's how

we operate.

So he goes back in this direction.

The bar is actually blocking him by staying in contact with the floor, and he's just rolling

it.

Now he comes back out, and he's going to go back the other way.

He plants down the right side with the bar, and he rolls back in that direction, opening

up thoracic extension, and rotation, hanging out at the end for just a couple of seconds

in each direction.

Do five, or six of these in each direction, and move on to hit those rounded shoulders

next.

All right, guys.

Now we have to go after those rounded shoulders.

The first thing you should know is, a lot of times the rounded shoulders are a consequence

of that rounded thoracic spine because once that starts it's hard to fight gravity, and

everything else starts to get rounded around with it.

But with that comes adaptive shortening because of the muscles in the chest, and we want to

make sure that we're not just focused on that.

Guys, I talk about it all the time.

You'd better start learning to pull, pull, pull.

And in this case we want to do face pulls, and we want to do them often.

So a face pull is going to actually help in developing the muscles on the backside here

to counteract all that adaptive shortening on the front.

You can see when Jesse does this now, he's basically working on external rotation as

well.

So as he gets back he's trying to bring his thumbs back, behind his body this way, and

at the same time working the posterior deltoids, and at the same time working the rhomboids,

and the muscles here in the upper back.

And he's holding it.

It's not about getting here and trying to get out of here as fast as possible.

It's about getting here and staying here, and then reversing it.

so you go here for quality reps.

I'd rather see him go 10 sets of 1 quality rep at a time, as opposed to doing one set

of 10.

At least the mentality when you approach this exercise.

So the face pull.

Out, keep these arms as wide as you can.

Work on externally rotating them.

Trying to pull and push the thumbs back in this direction, and get one quality rep at

a time.

Now we have to work on that nerd neck, okay?

In order to do that you have to realize that because of everything else that's been going

on, the chain reaction now usually causes a weakness in the deep neck flexors here,

in the front of your neck.

So you don’t just want to do the neck flexion resisted exercises with a plate.

You also want to make sure that you're tucking your chin back so you can really activate

the deep neck flexors.

So what you do is take a tennis ball like this, and Jesse's going to tuck it right here,

between his sternum and his chin.

Just like that, to engage.

It forces him to have to hold his neck back.

He takes a 10lb plate, or a 5lb plate, wrapped in a t-shirt, or a towel.

He goes down just enough to be in slight extension, and he goes back up, and flexes into neutral.

But the whole time he's engaging those deep neck flexors by keeping that tennis ball between

his sternum, and his chin, and then going through this really small movement here.

Again, quality repetitions.

When you talk about fixing posture it's not about trying to rack up set, after set, after

set.

It's only about racking up quality rep, and quality rep, and quality rep.

One at a time.

That's what matters the most.

Okay, lastly we have to attack that pelvis.

The pelvis is really the base of all the stuff that's going on here because it's literally

supporting all this bad shit that's happening up top.

For Jesse, we talked about how he's an anterior pelvic tilt.

But for most of us, what happens when all this stuff is rounding forward is it gets

tucked underneath.

Why is that?

The hamstrings get short, and tight, and they start pulling this down, and under.

As I said before, the ass-not posture.

It's getting rid of your ass.

You don’t really have a good looking ass in this position here because it's sinking

under, and disappearing.

So if I grab the camera here, I can actually show you how we can fix this.

If I get right here with Jesse I can tell "Hey, look.

Put your foot up on something you can dorsal flex your foot."

Pointing it toward your head.

From there, make sure your knee is straight because we want to try and flex this hamstring

out.

In order to stretch the hamstring out we have to get into that anterior pelvic tilt.

Now, for Jesse that's easy.

Go back into that posterior tilt.

Most of us are going to start like that.

That's what is getting us into trouble in the first place.

But we really try to force our butt out as far as we can.

Then from there, all we have to do is maintain this anterior pelvic tilt, we reach forward

with our arms and reach in this direction as much as possible.

Over here, just like this, he's reaching out toward me.

That's the direction, but keeping all that the way it was.

If you see the hamstring, he's not bending a lot at the waist.

There's not a lot of forward bend here at the waist, but because he has himself in anterior

tilt, that hamstring is really getting lengthened here.

That's what you want to do.

You want to make sure, again, you do this on both sides, and you do it for about 45

seconds at a time.

Nice, high quality stretching.

If you do that I promise you guys, you're going to feel this, obviously, right away,

but if you work on all four of these things together you fix the pelvis, you work on the

mid back, you work on those shoulders, the neck, hopefully, will work itself out.

But as you increase the deep neck flexor strength as well, that's all going to help, too.

So there you have it, guys.

There is your posture plan of attack.

Remember, as I said, it didn't take this guy one day to get this way, and I'm sure it didn't

take you that long either.

So if you're going to make these changes they can happen.

You just have to be committed to making the changes.

If you're looking for more in depth breakdowns of the individual conditions from the rounded

shoulders, to the neck, to having the anterior pelvic tilt, in Jesse's case; whatever it

might be, we've made videos for all those, and I'll make sure I link them in the description

below.

But I'm telling you: a little bit goes a long way.

A little bit in high quality goes the longest way.

So do these things I'm showing you here today and I promise you're going to start seeing

results very, very quickly.

Again, you can feel them instantly.

You can start to see them adapt, and become permanent over time.

Now, if you're looking for a program that puts the science into everything we do, that's

all in our ATHLEANX program.

As a physical therapist I lay it all out for you step by step in every, single workout

we do.

That's what Jesse's been doing as well.

You can get that over at ATHLEANX.com.

In the meantime, if you've found the video helpful leave your comments and thumbs up

below.

Let me know what else you want me to cover and I'll do my best to do that for you in

the days, and weeks ahead.

See you.